1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a clumpable or scoopable animal litter to which has been applied a boron compound odor-inhibiting agent.
2. Brief Statement of the Related Art
Because of the growing number of domestic animals used as house pets, there is a need for litters so that animals may micturate, void or otherwise eliminate liquid or solid waste indoors in a controlled location. However, inevitably, waste build-up leads to malodor production.
One solution to the malodor problem arising from used animal litter has been the introduction of a new form of cat litter comprising a litter composition which contains bentonite clay particles. Bentonite is a water-swellable clay which, upon contact with moist animal waste, is able to agglomerate with other moistened bentonite clay particles. This thus isolates the moist animal waste by the agglomeration of the moist clay particles. The agglomerations form an isolatable clump, which can be removed from the litter. Examples of this type of clumping or scoopable litter technology are disclosed in Hughes, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,503,111; 5,386,803; 5,317,990; 5,129,365 and U.S. Reissue Pat. No. RE 33,983, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
On the other hand, boron-containing compounds, especially boric acid, have been identified as effective additives to various non-clumping clay-based animal litters. These are discussed in, for example, Ratcliff et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,949,672 and 5,094,190, Jenkins et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,176,108, and Stanislowski et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,018,482, 5,135,743 and 5,183,655, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Still other references have discussed the use of borax in a cat litter in which a water soluble polymer present is caused to gel or harden by the presence of borax as a reaction initiator or catalyst, but not as an odor control agent. See Goss et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,961 and Raymond, U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,010. Other patents discuss the use of borax, albeit in a non-clumping animal litter, for example, Clark et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,792, and Christianson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,873.
Finally, Gordon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,605, discloses the use of various buffering agents, including sodium borate, in a litter in which a strong oxidant, sodium or ammonium persulfate is present to reduce odors in animal litters.
However, none of the foregoing art teaches, discloses or suggests that boron compounds added can reduce the clumping ability of clumping clay litters. Further, none of the foregoing art teaches, discloses or suggests that the addition of boron-containing compounds to clumping animal litters is effective to reduce malodors. Finally, none of the art discloses, teaches or suggests that this odor control--which is attributable to inhibiting the fermentation of urea to reduce the generation of ammonia--can be accomplished without hindering the adherence or agglomeration of clumpable clay litters when contacted with moisture.